Electric Bike Rebate Program Resumes

Connecticut residents seeking to purchase eBikes between mid-September and Oct. 1 may be eligible for up to $1,250 in rebates under a voucher program re-launched Tuesday by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.

The agency began Round 2 of the Electric Bicycle Incentive Program on Sept. 17, following a “robust response” from consumers during the program’s first phase when it launched last summer. The program provides vouchers to offset the price of buying an eBike from participating brick-and-mortar retailers in Connecticut.

“Last year, we had $750,000 to award,” DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes told Fox61 on Monday. “Ultimately, we helped 422 recipients get on a bike.”

This year’s program differs from the first round in that it will utilize a lottery system to prioritize applicants whose income is less than 300% of the Federal Poverty Level. The lottery will also prioritize applicants who reside in Environmental Justice communities or Distressed Municipalities, according to DEEP.

Benefits under the program range from $500 to a total of $1,250, depending on the vouchers for which applicants qualify.

The program represents an expansion of the Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR), which provides incentives for consumers who purchase electric vehicles.

The state legislature voted to expand the rebate program to eBikes through the Connecticut Clean Air Act, led by Sen. Christine Cohen, co-chair of the Transportation Committee. In a press release issued at the launch of the first phase, Cohen said she was pleased to see its provisions taking effect.

“Making e-bikes and electric cars more accessible is an important step towards meeting our reduced carbon emission goals and I’m looking forward to seeing more affordable electric options on the road,” Cohen said.

Consumers seeking to participate in the program must apply for a voucher prior to making an eBike purchase. Visit DEEP’s eBike Incentive Program website for information on how to apply as well as a list of eligible eBikes and participating retailers.

Posted By Hugh McQuaid

How Happy is Connecticut? WalletHub Ranks the States by Health and Happiness

Two studies released this year measuring happiness and health across the country found Connecticut among the top-rated states overall and one of the best places in the nation to raise a child.

WalletHub’s ranking of the happiest states in the country saw Connecticut land a top-10 finish, coming in at seventh place and earning top marks as the happiest New England state. The company’s rankings of happiness emphasized three key elements that impact daily life: emotional and physical well-being, work environments and community environments.

Connecticut took sixth place overall in the metrics of emotional and physical well-being, which considered physical health, mental health, life expectancy and food insecurity, among other metrics.

While Connecticut saw some of the lowest overall work hours in the country, its work environment metrics came in lower, at 16th place overall. This metric considered financial anxiety, average annual incomes, job security and additional elements including “share of work-related stressed tweets.” Connecticut also came in lower, at 21st overall, in measures of “community and environment,” with metrics including volunteer rates, ideal weather, leisure time per day and divorce rate.

In Wallethub’s overall rankings, Connecticut was the highest-ranking New England state, with Massachusetts at 10th due to its low “community and environment” rank and New Hampshire at 14th. Hawaii topped the list with Maryland and New Jersey filling out the top 3. The bottom three states were Louisiana, Arkansas and West Virginia, according to the WalletHub ranking.

A second set of rankings, released in April, found Connecticut children among the happiest and healthiest in the country, with neighbors Massachusetts and New York coming in at second and third.

VocoVision, a teletherapy company, created a Happy Child Index, measuring ten factors that impact children’s mental and physical health. These include access to local libraries, sleep quality, access to mental health care, youth suicide and disconnected youth rates, access to parks and recreation, healthy food, making new friends and air pollution.

Connecticut received its top placement due to high rankings in many of those metrics, including top-five rankings in library access and low suicide rates, as well as top-10 rankings for parks and recreation access and mental health care.

By Joe O’Leary

To Combat Rising Thefts, CT SNAP Recipients Urged to Change PINs

The Connecticut Department of Social Services reminded residents to exercise caution in response to a recent increase in reported thefts of SNAP and EBT benefits after reports initially declined earlier this year.

Criminals have been working to undermine efforts to connect residents with the state support they need, which has placed undue harm on residents already working hard to keep their finances in order.

Despite communication efforts to increase the number of EBT residents protecting their benefits by regularly changing their PINs, the agency said a downturn in benefit thefts from June to August has ended and rates of stolen benefits are increasing again.

The Connecticut Mirror reported in July that there had been a more than 1,800% increase in theft of SNAP benefits, or food stamps, from the 2023 fiscal year to FY 2024. Reported thefts rose as high as 2,855 in June before declining, according to reports.

Criminals were installing skimming machines on point-of-sale devices and used phishing attempts to steal individuals’ personal identification numbers. The DSS statistics suggest that efforts to combat the thefts worked as the agency raised public awareness of the issue.

Although outreach efforts contributed to a 48% decline from a peak in June, requests for stolen benefit replacement rose again in August, according to DSS.

These thefts were increasingly concerning as many families received summer EBT benefits meant to help children’s nutrition when they had limited access to school meals. The program provided an additional $120 per child for families, and was expected to serve 303,000 children in the state over the summer.

State officials ask that anyone who receives food stamps change their PIN code after each purchase to fight the skimming and phishing efforts. Changing a PIN at the beginning of the month, when funds are deposited, is another recommended strategy.

These steps are more important now than ever, as replacing stolen benefits may soon become much more challenging. NBC News recently reported that if no action was taken by federal lawmakers by September 30, most victims of benefit theft will no longer get their benefits back.

There has been a provision in place for the last two years to pay back victims of theft, but when the program ends, states won’t have the resources to aid victims. The Biden administration and lawmakers have called for changes, including extending the program and pushing states to switch to chip-based EBT cards, which will protect against theft.

Posted by Joe O’Leary